The town below Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, is the final stop on the train from Cusco and Ollantaytambo. From here, just a few blocks from the train station, you can catch a 20-minute bus up a winding mountain road to the entrance to Machu Picchu. To avoid the crowds, we recommend staying one night at Aguas Calientes and taking the bus up to Machu Picchu before the first train arrives in the morning.
Aguas Calientes is an unremarkable town, and you won't want to spend more than one night there, but there are a number of international restaurants and tourist-friendly hotels that live off the Machu Picchu crowds. There are some nice hikes in the area with decent bird-and butterfly-watching.
One of several restaurants alongside the railroad tracks on Imperios de los Incas, the advantages of this eatery are its attractive location and low prices, particularly in Aguas Calientes. The
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This restaurant has (questionable) style to spare, from the stained and varnished logs holding up its roof to the combination of black leather tablecloths and sheepskin-covered benches. El Charro
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Toto\'s House Restaurant is mainly defined by its size: a 400 person capacity to be exact. The huge all-you-can eat buffet is its other distinguishing feature (it\'s possible to order dishes from the
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
As a restaurant, Indio Feliz has acquired a reputation-not just in Aguas Calientes, but in all of Peru-that is nothing less than legendary. They have won many prizes, including, in two consecutive
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This standard but very decent restaurant on Manco Capac Plaza offers traditional Peruvian food along with, of course, the universal favorite: pizza. There is an amusing touch in terms of the table
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Cheap and cheerful restaurant offering a three course meal for around $5. Pick between starters such as stuffed avacado, garlic tomatoes and various soups. Then move onto your main where options such
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
One of Aguas Calientes finest restaurants, the Tree House provides travelers with a imaginative mix of Peruvian, Thai and European cuisine-starters include a Quinoa tabbouleh and potato, lime and
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Restaurant
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
The Presidente Hotel has earned two-star expectations, but charges a rate more in common with three-star facilities. However, it justifies its higher prices with niceties such as Jacuzzi bathtubs in
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This is right next door the Presidente Hotel, is managed by the same company, and very much resembles it except that by defining itself as a \"hostel\" rather than \"hotel,\" and virtually functions
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Hostel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This is one of the more mid-range hostels you will find along the tavern-and-tourist filled Avenida Pachacútec. There are only 14 rooms, all of them spacious, clean and appealing, and they are the
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This is another small, efficient, clean hostel on the popular and touristy Avenida Pachacútec, ideal for travelers who want to be close to everything before and/or after their Machu Picchu ascent.
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Hostel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Sumaq Macchu Picchu Hotel is an exclusive luxury hotel at the base of Macchu Picchu. This four-star hotel blends in well with its location: everything from the architecture to the cuisine borrow from
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Something of an Aguas Calientes institution, Gringo Bill\'s has been around for at least 20 years. The rooms are bright and airy, and some of them feature balconies. There\'s a bar, restaurant,
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Probably the best luxury option in Aguas Calientes, the expensive but beautiful Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is located just on the outskirts of town, about a five-minute walk from the
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Hotel Restaurant La Cabaña is a friendly if overpriced hotel not far from the center of town (note it\'s up a steep hill-take advantage of the train station pick-up). The rooms are cozy and
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Cozy, comfortable and safe, Viajeros calls its self a \"bed and breakfast\" hostel. It is run with the same efficiency as its sister agency, SAS Travel in Cusco. While it provides twin and
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Aguas Calientes is one of the few pueblos you will find in Peru that offers its own campgrounds. It is a walk of about 2 kilometers north of Aguas Calientes, on the road leading to the winding trail
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Hotel Apu Majestic is within a short walking distance from the Peru Rail Station in Aguas Calientes, though so is pretty much everything else. Its other listed amenities include heating, cable TV,
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Hotel
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Aguas Calientes-which translates as hot waters-derives its name from the sulfur-heated waters found here. Though the springs are set in concrete, squared-shaped baths (if you\'re imagining rustic,
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Spa/Hot Springs
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
If you have a spare morning or afternoon in Aguas Calientes, a visit to the Mandor gardens and waterfalls is an enjoyable way to spend it. Walk for about an hour or so down the railway tracks in the
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Park, Other Activity
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
Anyone interested in a more thorough appreciation of Machu Picchu should pay a visit to this museum, named after Peruvian archeologist Manuel Chávez Ballón. Most of Machu Picchu\'s artifacts were
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Museum
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru
This is an excellent, three-hour hike up the mountain opposite of Machu Picchu-the views are breathtaking. It can be steep and part of the climb requires ascending vertical cliff faces via wooden
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Hiking
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, Peru